Herbal Remedies for Upset Stomachs

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A Taste For Bitters Recipe 

When your celebrations last into the waning hours of the day and include rich, flavorful dishes and liberal libations, the best advice is to be herbally prepared to relieve the digestive upset that may befall you. 

The holidays can wreak havoc on the digestive system. Even traveling can be a source of stomach upset, constipation, or diarrhea. And when the festivities start, who can resist all that food and drink? Just one more piece of pecan pie can’t hurt, we say. Meanwhile, indigestion, bloating, heartburn, and flatulence declare that our bodies don’t agree.

A host of digestive ailments can be caused by stress, fatigue, changes in time zones, dietary indiscretion, unfamiliar foods, and/or departures from regular eating schedules. But with a little advance planning, you can avoid these problems and enjoy the celebrations without interruption.

A pre-holiday pep talk

A little awareness goes a long way. In other words, it’s helpful to think about what irritates your digestive system before the festivities begin. Perhaps fats, excess alcohol, sugar, rich meats, or a combination of these irritates your stomach. Ideally, then, it could work wonders to make a simple vow before the holidays to avoid overindulging.

Realistically, however, it’s not always that simple. You may find that in addition to overeating, the stress associated with shopping, traveling, and entertaining are, to some extent, unavoidable. The best advice in this case is to be herbally prepared to relieve the digestive upset that may befall you.

Herbal tummy tamers

Motion sickness
Ginger

Constipation
Psyllium
Cascara sagrada

Diarrhea
Bayberry
Alfalfa
Nettle
Red raspberry
Red clover
Bitters

Before meal tonics
Gentian
Barberry
Angelica
Fennel
Cardamom

Indigestion
Gentian
Barberry
Oregon graperoot

Heartburn
Peppermint
Chamomile

Upset stomach
Hops

Liver support
Milk thistle

Travel wisdom

For many people, queasiness and digestive upset are considered an inescapable part of traveling by sea, air, or land. But this doesn’t have to be, with the help of ginger (Zingiber officinale).

Although the exact way ginger acts on the body is unknown, it has been shown in clinical studies to be more effective than Dramamine in relieving symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Ginger is available in capsule, syrup, or extract form. The recommended dose is two 500 mg capsules, a teaspoon of ginger syrup, or 30 to 60 drops (1.5 ml, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) of ginger extract dissolved in some water, taken about one hour before departure. Repeat every four hours as needed.

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